India, China sign $16bn business deals during Wen visit
Indian and Chinese companies have signed business deals worth $16bn (£10.2bn) on the opening day of Chinese PM Wen Jiabao's three-day official visit to India.
The latest of a number of world leaders to visit India, Mr Wen is accompanied by some 400 Chinese business leaders.
China is India's largest trading partner - two-way trade volumes are set to hit $60bn (£38bn) this fiscal year.
Mr Wen is due to meet Indian PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday.
Indian and Chinese companies signed some 50 deals in power, telecommunications, steel, wind energy, food and marine products worth $16bn at the end of a business conference attended by Mr Wen in the capital, Delhi, on Wednesday evening.
This overtakes the $10bn of business agreements signed between Indian and American businessman during the recent visit of US President Barack Obama to India.
"There is enough space in the world for the development of both China and India and there are enough areas for us to cooperate," Mr Wen told the business conference.
Mr Wen - who last visited India five years ago - brings with him one of the largest teams of Chinese business leaders ever to visit India.
The Chinese delegation dwarfs the number of trade chiefs led in recent weeks to India by US President Barack Obama (215), French President Nicolas Sarkozy (more than 60) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (about 40).
The Chinese premier will hold talks later on Thursday with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Later this week, Mr Wen will travel to India's nuclear-armed neighbouring rival, Pakistan, for a two-day official visit.
Though bilateral trade with China is booming, the relationship is not benefiting India as much as it might, say analysts.
Delhi has been demanding greater access to Chinese pharmaceutical and IT markets as it seeks to level a large trade surplus in China's favour of up to £25bn.
China's envoy to India, Zhang Yan, told reporters ahead of Mr Wen's visit: "Relations are very fragile, very easy to be damaged and very difficult to repair. Therefore they need special care in the information age."
Ties between the two countries were tested in August when India cancelled defence exchanges after China refused a visa to a Kashmir-based general.
Last year, India protested against the Chinese practice of issuing visas to people from Indian-administered Kashmir on separate pieces of paper, unlike the standard visas it offered to other Indians. China gave no explanation for the move.
Celtics escape NY with Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce thought it was good. So did the fans who roared in celebration at what appeared to be the victory that would punctuate the New York Knicks' return to relevance.
Ray Allen knew otherwise, and so did the referees.
Amare Stoudemire's 3-pointer came just after the final buzzer, giving the Boston Celtics a thrilling 118-116 victory Wednesday night and their 11th straight win.
"It was great basketball. It was a great Eastside barnyard knockdown, backyard scuffle, if you will," Boston's Kevin Garnett said. "Good basketball, though."
Pierce made a tiebreaking jumper with 0.4 seconds left to win it. The Knicks' eight-game winning streak is over, but a dormant rivalry might be back.
"We definitely earned our respect," Stoudemire said. "I guarantee you right now Boston respects us. We're no slouch. We're ready to play every night. Boston knows it."
Pierce's late jumper proved to be enough for the Celtics after a video replay of Stoudemire's shot showed the ball was clearly still in his hands as time expired.
"The Knicks are playing great basketball, can't take anything away from them, and I actually thought Amare's shot counted," Pierce said. "I would have been stunned there for a minute, especially after all the theatrics, so I'm glad we got the win."
Pierce scored 32 points for the Celtics, who trailed most of the night before running their record to 20-4, best in the Eastern Conference.
Stoudemire tied a season high with 39 points, extending his franchise-record streak to nine straight 30-point games. But the Knicks were denied the victory they crave over a top team.
They get another chance Friday, when LeBron James and the Miami Heat come to Madison Square Garden.
Allen scored 26 points and Garnett had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, enjoying their fifth winning streak of 10 games or more since their Big Three came together before the 2007-08 season.
Raymond Felton had 26 points and 14 assists, Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points and Wilson Chandler had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for just the second time in their last 15 games.
Most of those victories came during a soft part of the schedule, leaving the Knicks needing a victory over an established NBA power to prove doubters they were back, despite their 16-10 record.
The Celtics just wouldn't let it happen.
Stoudemire's dunk snapped a 94-all tie with 8:05 left, and the Knicks stayed ahead until Garnett made two free throws with 1:29 remaining. Felton was late getting back after landing hard on a missed drive and the Celtics swung the ball around to Allen, whose 3-pointer gave Boston a 116-113 lead with 1:02 to play.
Gallinari answered with a three-point play and the Knicks got the ball back after the Celtics threw it away trying to find Allen, but Stoudemire's shot from the lane rolled out.
Pierce ran the clock down and created enough space to make his shot over Stoudemire, who had picked him up on a switch. After a timeout, the Knicks inbounded the ball to Stoudemire behind the arc, and the Madison Square Garden crowd that was standing for most of the final minutes roared when his shot went through.
But the referees had ruled it came too late, and with the Celtics standing behind them as they watched it again on video, they saw their judgment was correct.
"When I seen that shot, it was like he went to a natural shooting rhythm and just seemed like he took a little bit more time," Allen said. "And that goes back to our possession when P hit the shot, taking as much time off the clock that we could, because imagine if they had .8 on the clock or .9 on the clock, that would have been a different story."
The Knicks were seeking their first nine-game winning streak since winning 15 in a row from March 1-April 2, 1994. But the Celtics, showing their huge advantage in late-game experience, scored 67 points in the second half.
"Very disappointing," Chandler said. "We had the game all the way until the last minutes of the game. We got to give our hats off to them because they're a veteran team. They've done it in and out, won championships."
With the Knicks off to their best start since the mid-1990s, this one had a big-game feel that's been missing at Madison Square Garden — especially when Spike Lee danced out onto the floor at halftime and slapped five with fellow front-row fans after Felton banked in a running 3-pointer just in front of them to give the Knicks a 58-51 lead.
Stoudemire had to work hard to extend his streak in Sunday's 129-125 victory over Denver, but this one came easily. He was more than halfway there by the time the first quarter was over, and surpassed 30 points in the final minute of the third.
With Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal both on the bench with injuries, the Celtics used Turkish rookie Semih Erden and then Glen "Big Baby" Davis on Stoudemire, and neither could contain him. Stoudemire was 7 of 10 for 17 points in the first quarter, Chandler scored 10, and the Knicks led 32-24.
Gallinari was 0 for 10 from the field in his first six quarters against Boston this season, then broke out with a huge third quarter. He scored 11 in the period, highlighted by a driving reverse dunk, and the Knicks led 90-83 after Felton made all three free throws when Pierce inexplicably fouled him with 0.1 seconds left.
Postponed WI series a blow, says de Silva
Sri Lanka Cricket's chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva says the postponed One-Day International series against West Indies was a big blow to the selection process ahead of next year's World Cup in Asia.
Persistent rain forced authorities here to call off the five-match series, just hours before the first game was scheduled to bowl off in Hambantota last Thursday.
And while the series will now be played next month, de Silva said the postponement had derailed the selectors' plans in settling on the final 15 for the February 19 to April 2 showpiece.
"Missing those five ODIs against West Indies was very crucial because we were really looking at finding an ultimate combination before picking the final 15," de Silva said
"There were things which we wanted to try in the five ODIs. It was very unfortunate we missed out on it, but nevertheless we have a basic idea of what we are looking for. There are a couple of things we would have loved to have tried out and made sure before the World Cup."
"If we are unable to get some international fixtures we'll have to take the risk and go with our gut feeling in selecting the final 15. That is why we are here to take certain decisions on the experience we've had and what we seen.
"My co-selectors and the team management are quite confident we will put out a strong squad."
Rain was a feature of the entire tour as it also ravaged the preceding three-Test series, allowing precious little play overall and forcing a 0-0 all stalemate.
Sri Lanka, one of the hosts for the World Cup along with India and Bangladesh, are one of the pre-tournament favourites.
They will campaign in Group A alongside title-holders Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Bolt, Blake for Jago Twenty20 : Sport : December 15, 2010
World and Olympic 100 and 200 metres champion, Usain Bolt, will take a break from his pre-season training for a celebrity Twenty20 cricket match tomorrow at St Jago High in Spanish Town.
Several of Bolt's teammates at Racers track club, including national 400 metres record holder Jermaine Gonzales, Daniel Bailey of Antigua and Barbuda and St Jago past student the fast-rising young sprinter Yohan Blake will also be in action. The match is the brainchild of Blake and former national Under 15 and 19 cricket representative Garth Garvey who is also a past student of St Jago.
Principal of the school, Sandra Swyer-Watson, in a recent interview, said the fund-raising match will provide a tremendous boost to the schools' sports programme. "Both Garvey and Blake are using this match to contribute back to their school. They are also using the occasion to motivate students to participate in sports at the school, especially in cricket," said Swyer-Forbes. The St Jago principal also thinks this will help to bring in needed funds to the school. The money is expected to go towards the welfare of the athletes as the school is embarking on a big nutritional programme for its athletes in all sports.
Players and cricket coaches from several other schools in the Spanish Town area have been invited to take part in the match which will attract a small entrance fee.
Barbados defeats T&T to hoist Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy once again
BARBADOS retained the Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy after they defeated their host Trinidad by seven wickets in a rain affected limited overs yesterday.
It was the second and final one-day 40-over match between the Barbados and Trinidad National Under-13 teams and was once again played at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre in Couva, Trinidad.
Unlike the first match, the Trinidadians won the toss and they decided to take first knock.
The game was set originally for a 40 over a side game but due to a heavy downpour the game was reduced to 25 overs.
The Barbados team made four changes from the winning side which saw Shakeel Turney, Lamar Pierce, Tremaine Harris and Hasani Newton come into the side.
Once again the outfield was rather heavy due to persistent rain over the last two weeks, however when the game got started the Trinidadians always found the going very tough due to some accurate and penetrative bowling and on some occasions excellent fielding.
The T&T team were restricted to 92/9 in their 25 overs, as their middle order batsman Chris Vialva topscored with 24 and Jason Jooli contributed 11.
Barbados offspinner Hasani Newton who came on at the dying moments of the innings, took three wickets for 11 runs off three overs. However the earlier work was done by opening medium passer Dominique Drakes who finished with 2/12 from six miserly overs.
Najee Holder who was troubled with bowling too many wides finished with 1/30.
In reply, the Bajans had a bad start, losing captain Lee Gaskin for just one run but Akeel Greenidge who was promoted to open the innings, topscored with a patient 45 not out. Vice Captain Deswin Currency contributed 13 and Lamar Pierce got 14.
The Bajans reached their target 93/3 off 23 overs, to win by seven wickets.
Today they will once again face the hosts at the start of the three-day test to be played at the same venue.(The Advocate)
Internal police investigation under way over students protests
Aninternal police investigation is under way after one protester alleged officers pulled him from his wheelchair.
Jody McIntyre, who has cerebral palsy, is considering a formal complaint.
A video of Mr McIntyre apparently being wrenched from his wheelchair and onto the street by police has appeared on Youtube.
He told the BBC that one of the police officers came running over towards him, tipped him out of his wheelchair onto the road and then dragged him by his arms from the middle over to the side of the road.
"There is no way you can classify me as a physical threat when I am sitting in my wheelchair not doing anything," he said.
Scotland Yard said the issue had been referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards, an internal body that examines officers' conduct.
Oprah impresses Sydney during Australia visit
US chat show host Oprah Winfrey has taped two shows for her 25th - and final - series in front of thousands of screaming fans in Sydney, Australia.
The shows were taped next to the city's landmark opera house, re-named the "Oprah House" for the occasion.
She justified Australia spending about $5m to bring her there, saying the shows will be worth millions more in tourism publicity.
Oprah also took over 300 US audience members with her to tour the country.
Four shows in total were taped for what is being billed as Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure. Her eight-day tour has felt like a presidential, papal and royal visit all rolled into one, says the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney. The shows will be broadcast in January and are expected to reach millions of people in 145 countries. It is the first time in the programme's history that shows have been recorded outside the United States.
Oprah's production company has reportedly spent nearly $7m on the Australian trip, in addition to the money offered by the Australian authorities.
"I love Australia!" It's so great here, and to the rest of the world watching right now, you've got to come to Australia."
The praise continued: "You're so darn friendly, you must go to friendly class!" Oprah said.
Her trademark giveaways included laptops for the students of a boys' school in a low-income neighbourhood, necklaces of Australian pearls for all 6,000 audience members and a $250,000 cheque for an Australian man with cancer and his family. Oprah's high-power stars included Australian actor Russell Crowe, the family of the late "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin and rapper Jay-Z. Before the Sydney shows were taped, Oprah told journalists her visit would produce a huge amount of publicity for Australia. "I have named myself an unofficial ambassador for Australia and I have the biggest mouth on earth. It is immeasurable what four hours of a love festival about your country, broadcast in 145 countries around the world can do," she said.
But for some Australians, the adulation heaped on Oprah has revived the country's cultural cringe, a sense of national inferiority and a craving for international recognition, says BBCs correspondent, Nick Bryant.
Hostage drama ends safely
Half a dozen children and their teacher were released safely yesterday after being held hostage for four hours by a teenager, armed with two swords at a nursery in the eastern French city of Be-san-con.
Officials said the man, whom one person described as suffering from a personality disorder, had been arrested and was being questioned by police from France's elite GIGN force.
"There is no more violence, it all went calmly," Besancon Mayor Jean-Louis Fous-se-ret told iTele television. "This is a person who is in a very bad mental state," he added of the hostage-taker, who he said lived locally.
The children, aged four to six, were wrapped in green wool blankets and carried away by relatives who had waited anxiously outside as police negotiated with the hostage-taker by telephone.
Officials said the young man turned up at the Charles Fourier nursery shortly before 9 a.m. brandishing two swords and mumbling that he "wanted something."
He initially took around 20 children hostage, later releasing around 14 of them, and finally letting the last half dozen go just before 1 p.m.
His motive was still unclear, although Jean-Marc Magda, administrative head of Fous-se-ret's office, told Reuters he was known to suffer from depression and psychological problems.